basic maintanance and oil blow-by

[BarryK]

ok, since my car should be home from the paint shop relatively soon, a week or so, I'm getting my list together for maintanance i need to do to get her ready for the road. This is my first year having her that I need to deal with getting her ready to run after being stored all winter. Actually almost 10 months since she has been running.
I know I need to get the oil and oil filter changed - (15W-40 ??)
i'll get my valves adjusted (solid lifter L-76 motor).
I'll have the tranny and rear fluids checked
tire pressure checked
new air filter
have the coolant checked
lube her up with all the grease fittings
what else?

One problem that I noticed last year when I was driving her was that I'm getting oil blow-by in my air cleaner. i'd wipe the filter down and clean out the housing and after the next drive it would be back again. not a lot, but definately there to be cleaned up again.
I asked about this on here last year and JohnZ metioned to check my PVC fitting so I did that by unscrewing it and making sure it wasn't clogged by running a thin wire thru it. It was clear and not clogged at all and it didn't solve the problem.
I know I do NOT have too much oil in the system so would the blow-by indicate a major problem i'm going to have to deal with such as a bad valve or valve seat or even worst possibly rings?
PLEASE, PLEASE give me some good news here people as I can't afford any major motor work or rebuilds this year.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

[allcoupedup]

Barry,
You need t o check the condition of your cylinder rings and cylinder bores. Easiest way to do this is with a compression test. Test each cylinder and then squirt a teaspoon of oil into each cyldiner and run the compression test again. If the pressure increases much you have worn or damaged rings or bores.

Leakdown test would be better but is harder to do and fewer people have the gear.


If I was in your shoes... after stressting about the car and spending big $$$ to get it looking right, I'd just forget about the oil in the air cleaner problem for now a DRIVE IT. Remember,if you drive the car, the quest for perfection will never ever end.


Brian

 

[BarryK]

Hi Brian

thanks for the info.

I'm HOPING it's not a rings issue as the motor was supposably rebuilt during the restoration just before I bought it although considering the quality of work previously done that i've already had to redo on the car it wouldn't surprise me too much if the motor rebuild had been done poorly also.
IF during a compression test or leakdown test we find it is the rings afterall, will I cause additional damage if I kept driving it? I don't want to cause more harm or damage until I would be able to get it repaired properly.

 

[ctjackster]

ok, since my car should be home from the paint shop relatively soon, a week or so, I'm getting my list together for maintanance i need to do to get her ready for the road. This is my first year having her that I need to deal with getting her ready to run after being stored all winter. Actually almost 10 months since she has been running.
I know I need to get the oil and oil filter changed - (15W-40 ??)
i'll get my valves adjusted (solid lifter L-76 motor).
I'll have the tranny and rear fluids checked
tire pressure checked
new air filter
have the coolant checked
lube her up with all the grease fittings
what else?

One problem that I noticed last year when I was driving her was that I'm getting oil blow-by in my air cleaner. i'd wipe the filter down and clean out the housing and after the next drive it would be back again. not a lot, but definately there to be cleaned up again.
I asked about this on here last year and JohnZ metioned to check my PVC fitting so I did that by unscrewing it and making sure it wasn't clogged by running a thin wire thru it. It was clear and not clogged at all and it didn't solve the problem.
I know I do NOT have too much oil in the system so would the blow-by indicate a major problem i'm going to have to deal with such as a bad valve or valve seat or even worst possibly rings?
PLEASE, PLEASE give me some good news here people as I can't afford any major motor work or rebuilds this year.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Barry, you gonna tackle any of these items yourself? We all have to start somewhere, changing the oil & fileter is a great place to begin - didn't I read where you bought some tools last year?


As for your "one problem" - assuming you have the "el correcto" style air cleaner element, the one that is saturated in oil on purpose, it might just have been a newly serviced (before you got it) air filter that was having some oil settle down into the air cleaner base. Alternatively, you may have had a wee bit too much oil in the crankcase, and you were getting a little oil froth / mist pushed out through the pcv "valve" (I use that term loosely here, since there is no vavle present). Check the oil level and hopefully you have the right dipstick in there. Finally, I myself am seeing a slight oil puddling in my air cleaner base (I have the element that gets saturated, I think I have ruled the element out as a source by now) and all is in order, and since it's not like I am oiling up a dry air filter, I haven't gotten too worked up over it.

I have bigger issues, like just what the heck do I have for a valve train in my L76 / L79 / L??

 

[BarryK]

hi Jack

I would have attempted the simple things like the oil change and new filter myself except with my arm not 100% yet i'll hold off until next time. Besides, I still need to go out and get a nice floor jack and stands or at the very least a set of ramps before I can do anything on the car myself so for now it means taking it to my mechanic. At least this way he can check the valves while i'm there too.

My current air filter in the car is saturated in oil so I guess that is correct on mine but i don't understand what the advantage of this is over a "standard" air filter that is just dry paper elements. It's not so soaked that I can see that the oil in the housing can all be coming just from the air filter.
for the air filter, would there be any advantage or disadvantage to change it to a regular type instead of one that is soaked in oil?
I always checked the oil level regularly and at times I've had to add a bit but I always made very sure not to overfill it past the MAX line on the dipstick. I would have no clue if the dipstick in the car is incorrect though.

 

[JohnZ]

Barry, I wouldn't worry too much about the oil-in-the-air-cleaner issue; just monitor actual oil consumption and see what it works out to. The foam/screen air cleaner element will work fine, but if you want a conventional paper replacement element, Paragon has them for about twelve bucks.

 

[BarryK]

Barry, I wouldn't worry too much about the oil-in-the-air-cleaner issue; just monitor actual oil consumption and see what it works out to. The foam/screen air cleaner element will work fine, but if you want a conventional paper replacement element, Paragon has them for about twelve bucks.

John
thank you! so, as long as i'm not going thru too much oil, the blow-by isn't an issue to be concerned with other than just having to clean it up?

I think i'd rather have the conventional paper air filter element just for simplicity unless there is a difference in performance between the two.
Rather than having to order from Paragon and waiting, can I get the filter at a local auto parts store such as AutoZone or Pep Boys or is it a specialty type or size?. I have the standard stock air cleaner assembly on the car for my 327/365 L76.

 

[JohnZ]

I don't know offhand what the cross-reference number is for a paper filter for the 327-350/365 air cleaner, as it was never serviced by GM in any form other than the foam/screen type. If you go to an auto parts store to try and find one, take the air cleaner with you.

 

[BarryK]

that's just what I'll do. thanks very much John. As always your help is GREATLY appreciated.